Published Date 8/26/13 6:55 PM

It’s interesting to reflect on the things you are involved in and the things you do. It’s important to understand that I’m not talking here about the science or the politics of fracking. Instead, I’m lifting the lid to see what’s going on under the hood of both camps.

I had been staying at the Balcombe Protection Camp (BPC) for a week and was walking back after spending a few hours at the climate camp (RCP) along the beautiful bridleway. This walk seemed to sum up my feelings about the two camps:

“#Balcombe Protection Camp is conservative and anarchic.
#ReclaimPower is anarchist and conservative.
Thoughts on #frackoff camping.”

At BPC there was a dysfunctionally colourful collection of disparate groups, with the strongest voices coming from different forms of “conservatism.” Yet the overall process was anarchic in a creative, organic way. At RCP, by contrast, there was a very functional monoculture: mostly young, progressive people led by an affinity group of ex-anarchists who now largely work for NGOs.

Why would I call both camps conservative?

At BPC, ongoing power struggles make it clear that the strongest voices are those with the least progressive agendas. Underpinning this is the local squirearchy: people with their hands on the money, the media, and the websites. Their natural allies are a disempowered working class who control the welcome centre and share responsibility for the finances. Added to this is the lingering family history of Occupy, which somehow fills this rural space.

At the climate camp (RCP), there is an odd mixture of old-school lifestyle anarchists and new professionals climbing the NGO ladder. The meetings are slick, and most decisions are made before the camp even starts. This works very well as a one-off and, with funding, could continue. However, I’m not sure how long the few remaining “anarchists” will stay involved.

The actions are excellent. There’s a professional, well-organised traditional media team, good food, power, toilets, and great legal backup. What more do you need? Yes—that’s a real question, and a few people were asking it.

A few days later, I made a second comment:

“Came back from #Protest #Fracking with the feeling of a brothel of media prostitutes and corporate (media) cocksuckers. Where is the balance of (alt) contemporary media today?”

Both camps are hungry for traditional media coverage. There seems to be little belief in, or understanding of, alternative media, or even social media.

Richard Hering replied:

“Where is the alt media? You could start here and watch all the videos
http://grassroots.visionon.tv/fracking
and if you want the latest, embed the player in your blog or site…”

This felt like a cry in the dark, and it was ignored by both camps.

So neither camp is particularly progressive, but both have space for much more progressive input. You can turn up at either camp and, as long as you’re not relying on centralised resources, you can have a significant impact. In this sense, both remain relatively open as progressive spaces. They are still, in old anarchist terms, #TAZ temporary autonomous zones.

I would like to see alternative media really work in spaces like these. To do this, you would need:

1. A well-organised team (three people would be a good start)
2. Your own solar power and basic equipment
3. A large tent, small marquee, or carport
4. A budget for transport and expenses

Then you simply turn up and make things happen. We did this very successfully at the Kingsnorth Climate Camp.